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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26085904">I'm Sorry, My Dears</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anigod/pseuds/Anigod'>Anigod</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mianite - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), the realm of mianite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Dark!Jordan, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I DONT MAKE THE RULES, It will get happy, M/M, More Characters will be Added soon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, So I gave him some, Swearing, Temporary Character Death, The Prison, but first it has to get sad, friendships, hopefully, i love dec he doesnt get enough attention, i love my boys but i just want some suffering, it also gets super crazy but like in a good way, jordan is my boy so i have to hurt him, other ships may be added soon, some heartbreak, switching between universes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:14:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26085904</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anigod/pseuds/Anigod</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Champions didn't know when Jordan began to change. They never did give him enough credit for his acting skills. Not even the gods noticed until he had changed until he willingly left to join the Darkness. He had turned his back on his friends, but why? Now the gods, along with their Champions, must break Jordan free of the Darkness' influence before he was completely corrupted. But what happens if they don't make it in time? What will happen to the Captain? What would happen to the world as they know it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jordan Maron/Dianite, Lrakinidas/Mianite, William Tucker Boner/Sonja Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/transvav/gifts">transvav</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyverneSien/gifts">SyverneSien</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25760785">Dark Between Stars</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadKiska/pseuds/MadKiska">MadKiska</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Loosely inspired by posts from anons on @transvav page and other fics</p><p>I hope you guys enjoy, I have enjoyed me. sparklez's content for years and I thought I would make a little fic for it. This does have Dark!Jordan but he's not insane so don't worry. This may take me a while but I just want to have fun with it</p><p>I also tried to keep the characters in character but I also wanted to make them react realistically to changing events</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had taken them months to realize that the Captain was not himself anymore. Then again, they never gave him credit for what a good liar he was. Or perhaps the better term here would be ‘actor’, wouldn’t it?</p>
<p>The Darkness had slowly corrupted Jordan when he had taken the first potion offered to him whereas the others had refused it. The presence of that potion whispered in Jordan’s ear at night but was easily ignored by the Captain. He had noticed he’s been sleeping better, though chalks it up to exhaustion. There was also this new black cat that slept on his chest at night, which was comforting to him.</p>
<p>The Darkness took the form of his goddess only to ignore him, her most loyal champion, to plant seeds of doubt into Jordan’s mind. To make him wonder if he wasn’t good enough, if he had done something wrong, if he was weak, if he had failed her. When the true Ianite came to visit the Captain, she felt something...off about him. He was cold to her, no longer willing to do whatever she said without asking questions, no longer devoted. He stopped giving her offerings in the Temple and was less inclined to maintain balance in the world. The Captain convinced himself that he just needed a break from godly things and so stopped responding to requests from the gods. The more they asked, however, that exhaustion turned to annoyance, which turned to resentment. Was all he was just a pawn to the gods? A tool? A means to an end? The Captain was tired of being used. Lady Ianite felt the bond fraying. And being a young goddess, she allowed it to fray. She stopped visiting him. And this allowed the Darkness to take hold of the Captain. He accepted the gifts more readily, listened to the whispers in his ears about how the Darkness could give him so much and ease his heartache. He could make him stronger to protect his friends. Train him to never fail, if he agreed to become the Champion of Darkness. The Captain refused, but they both knew he didn’t truly mean it.</p>
<p>The Ianitee began to spend more time alone, refusing to answer his friend’s calls to go on an adventure, share stories, or even just hang with each other. He became snappy, voicing how busy he was and how he couldn’t afford to be distracted, or how they were getting in his way of improving his house or his gear. At first, he had felt poorly about treating his friends in such a way, but his new cat always comforted him, assuring him that he had a right to act the way he was. He was always being walked over after all. They could wait for him to approach them. The Captain did not notice how his attitude and way of thinking had changed. His thoughts had become jumbled between logic and the Darkness’ influence over him. Jordan felt guilty over the way he had been treating his friends and knew they had done nothing to deserve his attitude. However, his mind always became clouded with malice and hatred towards his friends whenever they suggested a new adventure, and so he made excuses not to see them. He also felt remorse over being so cold to his Lady, but every time he asked to see her, he was overcome with anger at seeing her. Each time she had brushed him off, refused to comfort or acknowledge him, even gift him a new weapon surfaced to his mind, reminding him why he was fed up with the gods. So, refused to speak to her when she asked if he was alright. She never pressed for answers after he had called her ‘useless’ for the first time. His friends became suspicious that something had changed within their once kind friend.</p>
<p>Tom began to notice something was not right with his best friend when Jordan had stopped laughing at his jokes.</p>
<p>The first time it happened, the Captain snapped at him to “Bother somebody else, Tom, I’m busy.” It had shocked the Dianitee to hear such hatred from his friend but left him alone.</p>
<p>Tom just assumed he just caught him on a bad day. The next time, however, was much more hurtful. He had been setting up a simple prank, just moving his stuff around to force Jordan to find them. The Captain’s reaction, however, he did not expect. While Jordan would usually groan and yell Tom’s name in that infuriated tone that made Tom smile, he instead elytrad to Tom’s island and addressed him with a scarily calm voice.</p>
<p>“Tom?” Jordan asked.</p>
<p>The Dianitee, who had not even heard Jordan approach him, jumped and spun around to face Jordan. He noticed his eyes were a bit darker than normal but blamed in on the lighting.</p>
<p>“Jordan! It’s so good to see ya, buddy! What do ya need?” He said with a smile.</p>
<p>When Jordan didn’t immediately answer, his smile faded. The Captain wore a blank expression, just staring at Tom with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He finally looked right into the zombie’s eyes, causing his breath to catch in his throat. Those eyes that were once blue were nearly black and brimming with hatred.</p>
<p>The Ianitee spoke. “You know, Tom, you always want to make sure you’re not annoying me too much with these pranks of yours and I always say ‘of course you aren’t, you’re my friend!’ But you know what Tom, you’ve always been an annoying pain in my side since the day that I met you, and I regret saying that you weren’t a fucking nuisance when you are.”</p>
<p>The Captain turned and left, not sparing a glance at the stunned expression on Tom’s face nor the tears filling his eyes as the man he once called a best friend walked away with no remorse. The zombie cried himself to sleep that night.</p>
<p>He didn’t approach the Captain after that.</p>
<p>Karl was shocked to hear what Jordan, the man who was never truly angry at anything Jordan, had said those things to Tom with no guilt and no apology afterward. He did his best to comfort Tom and even offered to talk to the Captain himself, but Tom declined, saying that Jordan was dangerous when he was truly angry. Karl relented, but that didn’t stop him from going over to Jordan’s island a few days later to check on him. The caveman was nervous to talk to Jordan, which had never happened to him before, being scared of one of his friends, but his worry over the Captain pushed him forward into Jordan’s house. He found him on the top floor near the edge of the roof, cleaning a wickedly sharp sword that was the color of midnight and reflected no light. He inched forward but didn’t get too close. He blamed his hesitance on not wanting to startle the Captain into stabbing him.</p>
<p>A black cat watched him from Jordan’s side.</p>
<p>“Hey Cappy, are you doin alright? Heard you went off on Tom the other day. He’s real messed up about it, you know?” Karl said, and Jordan stopped cleaning and turned to face the caveman.</p>
<p>His face was scarily blank but his eyes held hatred. “Tom got what was coming to him, Karl. He shouldn’t be so upset about it.” Jordan said it with such a flippant tone that it left Karl speechless. Since when had Jordan not cared about how other people felt?</p>
<p>“Jord, mate, that’s pretty fucked, even on your standards. Are you sure you’re alright? We haven’t seen ya in ages.” Karl moved to put his hand on Jordan’s shoulder, but the Captain had always been faster than him, and Karl was on his back with the midnight sword pointed towards his neck, the tip nearly piercing his skin.</p>
<p>The Captain stared down at him impassively, almost as if he were inspecting mud on his shoe. Karl was afraid to even swallow, thinking he would be killed by his own friend if he made one wrong move. He heard a purr next to his ear.</p>
<p>“I like you, Karl. I really do. But if someone asks me one more time if I’m alright, I might just kill someone for real. So please, for the last time, leave me alone.” Karl was terrified.</p>
<p>The Captain’s blank expression had morphed into a sincere smile, but the caveman felt anything but comfort. Chills ran down his spine as the sword was removed. He scrambled to his feet and began backing away.</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure Jord, whatever you need, I’ll be back at my place if ya want to talk.” Karl left quickly and told Tom about what happened.</p>
<p>They were both shocked that Jordan had done these things to them, but were determined to help him through whatever it was that was troubling him. They had been through too much together to give up on him now. After Karl’s experience with the Captain, things got.... weird.</p>
<p>Jordan apologized for his actions and explained that he had been under a lot of stress from the gods and the voices in his head lately, and had no outlet for his emotions, so took it out on them. The Ianitee seemed sincerely apologetic, and so his friends forgave him, and after a moment’s hesitation, gave the Captain a group hug. The three continued on their days as they had before this whole mess. They joked, they went on adventures, and told stories. The Captain’s new cat companion was always welcome on these trips as well.</p>
<p>A god and goddess watched with sorrow from afar as their Captain pulled a shield of normalcy over his friend’s eyes.</p>
<p>“We have to warn them eventually that the Captain has been corrupted by the Darkness, brother.” Ianite said as she watched the cat meow when Jordan kills yet another in this purge.</p>
<p>There is a sinister smile on his face as he does. She feels sorrow over the way she had ignored her Champion but didn’t know how to fix it. She had never had a follower as dedicated as him, and so felt it was best that he come to her, not the other way around. Ianite regrets ever thinking that way, and now the once sweet and devoted boy who would drop everything for her now follows a being of pure evil. All because they had pushed him too hard. She will never forgive herself.</p>
<p>Dianite watches as his Captain falls further into cruelty, leaving behind almost no traces of the sweet and slightly naive, yet powerful man that has killed gods before. His heart breaks as he kills another, and he can’t help but remember the Captain’s sweet and gentle kisses in the mornings and soft caresses at night. His eyes narrow at the black cat sitting on the Captain’s chest. How dare the Darkness take away what he had worked so hard for? The amount of time it had taken him to convince the Captain that he deserved to be loved? The nights he had devoted to showing the Captain he was loved? The sweet dates that the Captain planned for him? The way ‘Dianite’ was spoken so fondly and the way ‘Jordan’ was spoken was such reverence? It had hurt him so deeply when the Captain stopped wanting to see him. Dianite thought perhaps he was regretting his decision to date him. Had he done something wrong? But when he began to act normal again with that strange cat on his shoulder, he knew that wasn’t the man he loved. And so, he stopped seeing Jordan, even if it felt like his heart was being ripped apart, he knew he would be hurt worse if Jordan had said he wanted to end things between them. Jordan was his everything, and he would be damned if he didn’t try to get him back. Dianite looked back at his sister and sighed.</p>
<p>“I know, sister. They will not take it well and insist we are lying. but we must prepare for a fight.” The purge ended with the Captain as the winner with 45 kills. The cat purrs on the Captain’s chest as he sleeps that night. They never got to confront him the next day. That damned cat was the only thing waiting for them when they got to the Captain’s Island.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The gods must tell their Champions that the Captain has left to join the Darkness, but how?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the two gods had realized that Jordan was gone, they knew that the Darkness had found out of their plans and took him to his domain, preventing them from helping their Captain any further.</p>
<p>Dianite nearly had a breakdown while Ianite was beside herself with guilt as they stared at the empty island. Dianite knew of the horrors of the prison; he remembers a cold so bitter that it chilled his bones every night, a darkness so deep he couldn’t see his hands in front of him. The only heat he received were the burns to his face and the occasional flicker of light from a torch. He was hesitant to even suggest a prison break, but knew that he loved the Captain, his sunflower, too much to let him be fully taken by the Darkness.</p>
<p>Ianite did not want to see her brother so heartbroken and knew of his hesitations to enter the prison, and knew of the dangers, but had never been there herself. She can only assume so much of what happens there to make Dianite hesitant to talk about it. Even so, she refused to let herself abandon the man that was so loyal to her any more than she already has. She should've been better to him, given him gifts instead of tokens of favor. She should have listened to him. Only then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have left.</p>
<p>Now they had to figure out how to tell the other two champions about the Captain’s disappearance. While Dianite wanted to tell them the deal with their friend outright and blunt, Ianite wanted to take a softer approach and reassure them that they can still save the Captain. A figure crossed their vision and they simultaneously knew how to tell the others.</p>
<p>Declan was their priest after all, he could deliver their message for them. They approached the ginger and he turned to greet them when they were close enough. “Ah! Lord Dianite, Lady Ianite, it’s good to see you.” Dec noticed their troubled faces and the lack of a certain Captain with a red coat.</p>
<p>“Are you guys alright? Where’s Jordan? He was pretty rude the last time I saw him. Hope he’s alright.” He stared at the two gods expectantly and noticed them fidget under his gaze. He rose an eyebrow, but said nothing further. The gods would speak when ready.</p>
<p>Ianite spoke first. “Priest, we need you to deliver an urgent message to the two champions. Tell them that Jordan has been taken to the Darkness prison, and that he must be freed before he is corrupted.” Dec was shocked to hear that Jordan, the man who is never beat, has been taken by the Darkness.</p>
<p><em>‘No.’</em> His thoughts whisper.<em> ‘He was not taken, he left willingly. Jordan wouldn’t go down without a fight.’</em> His thoughts were cut short as Dianite spoke up.</p>
<p>“No, sister.” He stated firmly. All signs of the passive chaos god were gone. In his place was Dianite, God of Chaos. “We cannot lie to these champions or sugar coat what has happened to their friend. They don’t deserve that. They will only feel even more betrayed when they reach the prison and find out that the Captain was not kidnapped, but left willingly with the Darkeness. And you know what? It’s our fault. WE caused him to turn to the Darkness. WE caused him to feel used and abandoned. I mean. you haven’t even talked to him in months!” Dianite was breathing heavily with clenched fists as he glared at his sister.</p>
<p>Ianite had never been yelled at by her sweet little brother, and was speechless before she was indignant to his accusations.</p>
<p>“I caused him to turn to the Darkness? What about you? YOU asked him to leave you alone and not come back until he cooled down? How’s that for making him feel unloved? He loved you!” She yelled.</p>
<p>“Do you think it didn’t hurt when I asked him to leave? He looked devastated! But I knew he wasn’t my Captain, I did it for myself and him! I still love him but I can’t handle him leaving me. YOU’RE the one who showed no remorse turning your back on him.” Dianite countered. His voice was wobbling and Dec saw that he was close to tears.</p>
<p>Ianite was speechless. She wanted to continue arguing, she really did, but she saw how distraught her brother was, how hard he was trying to hold it together, and sighed. They couldn’t afford to waste time arguing.</p>
<p>“Dianite, I’m sorry. You’re right. We have to think about our Champion’s well-beings and we can’t do that if we omit pertinent information.” She turns to the Priest, who had been silently watching the exchange.</p>
<p>“Priest, please tell the zombie and the caveman that the Captain has been corrupted by the Darkness. As such, he is currently in the Darkness’ domain, spiraling further into evil’s grasp. We do not have much time to save him and even less time to fool around. Tell them to gather on Tom’s island with their best armor and weapons and prepare for a battle. The gods shall be on their side. The Captain’s life depends on all of us.” When Dec nodded, she continued. “I will go and fetch Mianite, he will be crucial to aiding us.” After her statement, she disappeared, leaving Dec and Dianite alone on the island.</p>
<p>Declan faced Dianite, who looked conflicted and was fidgeting.</p>
<p>“Dianite.” He looked at the Priest. “If you must, will you be able to fight Jordan to free him from the Darkness’ hold? Will you hesitate?” Declan needed to know if Dianite was able to fight his lover, or else they would be down one fighter.</p>
<p>Dianite bit his lip and looked away. “I.....Please ask me again when the time comes.” He vanished.</p>
<p>Declan nodded his head. He knew Dianite would not be able to fight Jordan, and such a hindrance may doom them all.</p>
<p>He sent a message through their communicator:<strong> ‘Champions, meet at adventure island immediately. There is an emergency regarding Jordan and we must depart ASAP. The gods will be joining us.’ </strong></p>
<p>Dec closed the communicator, ignoring the messages asking questions about Jordan and the adventure. He had no time to waste in relaying his message from the gods to the two remaining champions. He just hoped they wouldn’t fool around too much before leaving. He heard Tom crash land on his island and Karl cackling in the background and he knew that he had to break the news immediately.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Champions react to the news and leave for the prison</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry this is so short, it's really just a filler. Also work is a pain so I may not update until next week, but also if this gets finished, i will revise the chapters.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Dec broke the news to Tom and Karl, Tom immediately denied that Jordan went willingly. Why would he? Tom and Jordan had been friends for years and he would like to say he knew the Captain well—at least well enough to know that he would never choose a side of evil. It just wasn’t the way Jordan was! He was always talking about keeping the balance of things, being neutral. To say he left with the Darkness was bullshit!</p><p>The Dianitee may not agree with Jordan’s Ianitee views of the world, but dammit he sure did make him feel better about the difficulties he’s had to face with his own god. Having to fight his own god because he was trying to kill his friends was hard on Tom. After the fight, he had doubts about himself; if he followed Dianite, was he, too evil? Would he be consumed by chaos and try to hurt his friends as well? Those thoughts always struck fear into him the most. When he finally voiced these fears to Jordan, he didn’t laugh it off or tell him he was being ridiculous. He sat down with Tom for hours, telling him he was incredibly strong for standing up to his god and killing him, not only to protect the world, but also his friends. He told Tom that he would always be in debt to Tom for helping save Ianite, even if the zombie disagreed that it wasn’t a debt that needed to be repaid, he was happy to do it. But now, knowing that Jordan has turned his back on him? He was angry, sure, but he was also worried. Something wasn’t right but he was determined to find Jordan and give him a right smack with his sword and then hug him.</p><p>Karl, while good friends with Jordan, had not known him as long as Tom had. He was stunned, sure, but the Captain was a powerful man and scary when angry. If Jordan was unhappy, then it made sense that he would find a new alignment. But with the Darkness? Jordan was the type of guy who would rather hurt himself than his friends! Maybe there was something else going on? Was he being controlled? They said he left willingly but he was hesitant to believe the Captain would betray them. He’s heard stories of what he’s done for those he loves and has given Karl amazing advice about being a champion when he had his own doubts on whether he was good enough. Jordan, after listening, told Karl that he understood what it felt like to feel incompetent to your god because he felt that way too. He told the story of him in Ruxomar and how his own goddess wanted him to be someone else, and the fact that he wasn’t the person she wanted hurt him deeply. The Captain worked so hard to make her see that he wasn’t the same man, but the feeling that he would never be good enough stuck with him. Karl was stunned that the Captain could ever feel like he wasn’t good enough—the man was powerful and humble. However, as he listened, he knew that he wasn’t alone in his feelings, that the gods could become neglectful at times, but if Mianite really didn’t like him, he would have revoked his Champion status a long time ago. Karl still has his doubts, but Jordan’s words always bring him a sense of comfort on those days.</p><p>The three gods watched as the two champions took in the news that their Priest had dropped on them. Tom went slack-jawed and wide-eyed while Karl looked nervously between Tom and the gods.</p><p>The zombie’s expression suddenly morphed into one of anger. “You’re lying. You’re fuckin lying! Jordan would NEVER betray us like that! Th-there-there has to have been a mistake! Maybe the Darkness’ influence made it seem like he left willingly? Or-or maybe you saw wrong? I mean, come on! This is Jordan! Always on about balance Jordan! He can’t just- “ Tom was cut short by a hand on his shoulder from Karl.</p><p>His jaw was clenched and was staring resolutely at the ground. The zombie looked at Karl and sighed heavily. There was no point in arguing but it didn’t make him any less furious about their situation. They had a friend to save.</p><p>Mianite spoke, “Champions, while this news is hard to bear, you must not let your emotions slow you down. We do not have much time for mistakes and even less for squabbling. Fetch your gear and meet back here. We will be waiting.” His voice boomed across the isles like thunder, and when he finished speaking, the two looked unimpressed but headed to their homes anyway.</p><p>Ianite turned to him. “Must you always be so dramatic? This is an already tough situation for them. You’re making it worse.” She scolded.</p><p>Mianite didn’t seem to care and shrugged. “It’s fun.” He said with a little smirk. At least someone was having fun.</p><p>Dianite looked about ready to strangle him when the two champions returned. They looked curiously between the gods but a stern look from Dianite sobered all 5 of them quickly.</p><p>Dec had been lost in thought since he had said his message. Contrary to what the gods may think, Jordan was still Dec’s friend too. They had been in their original world with Tom together, and knowing that Jordan was so unhappy with his goddess, whom he was so dedicated to, that he felt used and useless; well that told Dec that the gods never learned how to care for their champions. And that angered him. Jordan has done everything he can for his goddess—his sleepless nights and hours upon hours of mining are proof of his dedication—but what has she given in return? Tokens? While the others are given weapons of power and praise, Jordan is given nothing. Declan knows that Jordan never deserved what has happened to him in his life, and hates that he can never warn him of any hardships that will come to him. He just hopes he isn’t too far gone to reason with him.</p><p>“Everyone,” Ianite spoke, “be prepared to fight. We do not know what we are getting into when he enters the prison, nor do we know the Captain’s current state of mind. You have been warned.” A chill crept up their spines. While Ianite was a relatively neutral goddess, her warnings always gave a sense of unease and foreboding to those listening. The last thing the immortals saw was an all-encompassing black and a flash of a sinister grin in the shadows before landing in the prison.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Some problems arise when they enter the....prison.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I kinda read through this and kinda didn't so if there's mistakes I'm sorry. </p><p>Enjoy this extra long chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they had stepped through the portal, they noticed something...off about the prison.</p><p>Where it had once been a red and gold hallway with dim lighting and puzzles to find the new exit, they instead landed in a grand hall with arches ceilings made of obsidian and the walls lined with impossibly dark blocks. It was lit with deep purple torches that made their shadows stretch and contort into inhuman shapes. The hall was deathly silent with only the sounds of their breathing, shuffling, and footfalls to fill the silence. Karl, ever the optimistic one, broke the silence.</p><p>“Well, this is lovely, isn’t it?” He spoke at a normal volume but his voice echoed all throughout the hall.</p><p>Tom and Karl seemed to have the same idea and spun around to face each other with huge grins on their faces. The gods knew where this was going but were too slow to stop the inevitable. The hall was filled with ‘REEEEeeeEeeEeE’ as the two champions screamed at the top of their lungs to hear the echoes bounce off the walls and ceiling.</p><p>Dec, understanding the importance of being quiet, was frantically trying to tell them to “be quiet guys please you are going to get us killed!” and other things along those lines. He was, of course, ignored.</p><p>Mianite put his face in his hands and heaved a deep sigh. Why was he hopeful that they could take this seriously? Really, he should’ve known. He pulled his hands away from his face and watched as Karl laughed at Tom, who was trying not to pass out from screaming. He did love his champions laugh and while he enjoyed seeing him having fun, Ianite and Dianite would rip his head off if he encouraged them. He rarely chatted with the Captain, but he knew from what his Champion has described that he is deeply humble and kind, but is also dangerous and ruthless with his enemies. If they manage to get him back, he would like to get to know the Captain better.</p><p>Ianite has never been more disappointed in her life. Well, there were some other things, but this had to be up there on the list. She watched as Tom lunged at Karl for laughing at him, but Karl dodged and ran away while yelling “it isss what it isss” and the two dissolve into laughter. She was grateful for the Priest trying to force them to cooperate....even if just for a little bit because now he is also chuckling, but she expected more from them considering they know that their friend may be in serious danger. She felt frustration bubble in her chest. What did the Captain ever do to deserve this fate? Guilt played at her mind—she had to calm down before she incinerated one of them, then the Captain would never forgive her. She couldn’t live with that on her conscience.</p><p>Dianite was torn between reveling in the chaos unfolding around him and forcing the champions to be quiet on concentrate on their mission. While he hadn’t seen Tom this carefree and happy in a while—it made him happy to see him enjoying himself—now was really not the time for fooling around. In the past, he loved watching the three of them squabble, laugh, and confuse their enemies with their carefree nature, but that was with Jordan. Jordan, who could help them fight better as a team. Jordan, who had their backs. Jordan, who helped them out of sticky situations. Who would help them now? He’s barely holding himself together with Jordan’s disappearance (he misses him so much); he couldn’t handle having his champion ripped away from him as well. And he knew for a fact that Mianite couldn’t either. And Ianite? She would be beside herself with guilt if all things went to shit. And so, he pushed down his chaotic nature to address the champions and bring—he shivered and nearly gagged—order to their actions.</p><p>Dianite turned towards the zombie, who was happily chatting with Dec and Karl trying to formulate a plan, when he abruptly stopped talking and doubled over. Lava began dripping from his mouth as his god punished him for being reckless in an urgent situation. His friends, while startled at first, recovered and tried to soothe him and tell him it would be ok, but what came from Tom were choked noises and gasping breaths. Dianite turned towards Mianite as his eyes glowed red.</p><p>“Will you not punish him, brother? He is also making a mockery of the situation. We don’t have time for this. His voice deepened and warped like the nether portal itself. Though he spoke calmly, his rage cut through the other five beings.</p><p>“No, brother.” Mianite responded. “I won’t punish him. He’s done nothing to warrant my wrath. While they haven’t taken the situation seriously, I don’t see why you couldn’t have just told the zombie to stop fooling around. No need for,” he gestured wildly towards Tom with his hand, “this.” Mianite looked back at Karl who was trying to keep a nearly unconscious Tom speaking. The caveman was telling jokes and wild stories with a strained smile but was close to tears as the stress of watching a friend lose a battle got to him. Karl sensed his god looking at him and looked up. He glanced at Mianite with a desperate expression—a plea to help—and turned to Dianite.</p><p>The caveman’s face contorted in anger and he was about to yell something in the defense of his friend, when he was silenced as well. He may have not been a follower of Dianite, but he was a mortal and the Chaos god didn’t want to hear him yelling any more than he already has. Mianite whipped his head around back towards him.</p><p>“How dare you do that to MY Champion?!” He yelled and allowed Karl to speak again. “Karl, please try to keep the zombie conscious,” is all he said.</p><p>The caveman nodded and rubbed his throat. He decided he hated that sensation of whatever Dianite did to his voice. Karl knew that they shouldn’t have yelled and fooled around but it’s how they cope with tough situations to make it more enjoyable and cut the tension. Did they really think he and Tom were wasting time? Well....they were but dammit these missions can’t all just be doom and gloom. Tom had been down for days now and wanted to cheer him up. Hell, Karl himself hadn’t felt right in a while and just wanted this mission to be as it normally was with laughing and screaming and fooling around. He knew Jordan was tough and a few minutes of fooling around wouldn’t hurt him....right?</p><p>Dianite didn’t cease his punishment but a grin snuck onto his face. “What, you wouldn’t punish your Champion when he’s done wrong? How cowardly. You like him or something?” He teased. While his tone was light his words promised hurt.</p><p>Mianite turned red and poked Dianite in the chest. “Don’t you even think about-“</p><p>“Boys!” Ianite scolded. They looked towards her, the older sister, like the younger brothers they were and they are in trouble. However, this time, she looked pissed instead of disappointed.</p><p>“Dianite, quite punishing the zombie boy, he hasn’t done anything else wrong than the caveman.” She ordered.</p><p>“But—“ Dianite began.</p><p>“Do not argue with me right now Dianite or I swear to mom you will regret it.” She angrily stated. “And Mianite will you stop provoking them into these foolish acts? I saw you smiling; we are in a dire situation here and you all are acting like petulant children? Can we all focus here please?” She ranted. Ianite inhaled and exhaled slowly.</p><p>Tom was slowly regaining strength as his punishment stopped and her brothers settled into a strained peace. The three mortals turned towards her. Karl dipped his head and thanked her while apologizing for causing a scene. Ianite nodded down at him.</p><p>“You are lucky they didn’t send guards of any sort down here to see what all the noise was.” She said like a mother to a child.</p><p>Karl nodded guiltily but there was a thoughtful look on his face. It was kind of suspicious there were no guards coming down here wasn’t it? It doesn’t matter now, they had to move forward if they wanted to find Jordan.</p><p>“As for you, my dear zombie,” she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him renewed strength for the journey, “ I don’t believe you deserved that punishment, but we cannot fool around any longer. Understood? Your friend’s life is on the line.” Ianite said firmly.</p><p>Tom slowly stood up, shaking slightly but otherwise ok. He nodded at Ianite, not trusting how raspy his voice probably sounded, but still thanked her.</p><p>“Thank you, Lady Ianite. I’m sorry about that. Won’t happen again, I promise.” He said as cheerily as possible though the effect was ruined by the grimace on his face.</p><p>He absentmindedly rubbed at his throat. It had been a while since he had been punished by Dianite, but he deserved it, didn’t he? Guilt crept into his chest and added to the burning in his throat. What if they had just doomed Jordan? Why did he have to be so nonchalant about these situations? This wasn’t just another mission from the gods, this is truly a life or death situation and they may have ruined it! If they did, Tom wouldn’t be able to cope with that and as he looks at Karl to make sure he is ok, he knows that Karl wouldn’t be able to either.</p><p>“Karl, buddy, I think we should hold off on the screamin and partyin till we get Jordan back, yeah? It just doesn’t feel the same.” Tom suggested.</p><p>While it may have seemed like an offhand comment, they both knew the meaning.</p><p>
  <em>We don’t have time to waste. We have to focus and concentrate else we lose a friend. And we both can’t handle it if it’s our fault we were too late. </em>
</p><p>“Sure Tom, I agree with ya. We can fool around later and shove our love for cappy in his face when we get him.” Casual words from Karl but an agreement to Tom’s suggestion.</p><p>They both couldn’t back out now. Tom smiled and patted Karl’s shoulder. “Glad we’re in agreement, buddy.”</p><p>He turned to Dec. “Alright mister Priest, which way should we head?” he asked.</p><p>“Well, er, I’m not actually sure. I’ve never been here before.” He admitted.</p><p>He may be the Priest but he wasn’t a mastermind. He ignored Tom’s shout of ‘wot’ in the back and asked the gods if they knew where to go and they also replied negatively. Great, so they were now lost in a dangerous dimension with a dangerous enemy and a friend in danger. How quaint.</p><p>“Maybeeeee we should just start walking?” He suggested. It was the only thing they could do really.</p><p>“Good plan Dec. See, this is why you’re the Priest. You come up with great ideas and tell cool stories. Gotta love it man.” Tom praised and began to follow Dec. The others followed as well.</p><p>For a short while, they walked in silence until: “Oi! Is this a door?” Karl exclaimed. He was looking to his right near the wall.</p><p>“It is.” Dec said and walked towards it.</p><p>“Good work, Karl.” He praised.</p><p>“‘Course bro. I got eyes like a hawk.” He joked and winked at Dec.</p><p>“Pfffttt yeah more like a squirrel.” Tom countered with a snicker.</p><p>“Boys!” Ianite, once again scolded.</p><p>The two apologized and sobered quickly. The door was pitch black and seemed to suck all of the little light out of the room. The shadows twisted and curled around it like smoke. It had no design on it, and looked like a part of the wall except for a small cat insignia on the handle. Dec pushed it open. In front of them was a small, well-lit hallway with a gold and red carpet and quartz walls. Sea lanterns lit the hallway and they could see another door at the end.</p><p>“Alright guys, let’s go.” Dec stated and they began to walk forward once more. Before they could get to the door, however, a figure barged through and quickly closed the door behind them while shielding it with their body. Their clothes were rumpled and torn and they were breathing shakily as if they were in pain. Their whole body shook with exhaustion. The rescue team instantly recognized this man.</p><p>“JordANNNNNNNN!” Came two simultaneous yells.</p><p>Tom and Karl ran forward to hug the Captain while the other four hung back. They were cautious and wary of him. He just....didn’t seem right. Jordan's expression changed to one of utter relief and he slumped against the door as the two crushed him in a hug. Tears came to their eyes as they reunited with their friend. While it was a touching moment, they had to get going.</p><p>Ianite cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, this dimension only allows beings to enter at their will, not exit. We will need to find our own way out.”</p><p>She turned towards her Champion with an almost convincing smile of sincerity. Almost. They couldn’t tell if Jordan fell for it or not but for their safety, they hoped he did.</p><p>“My Champion, it is wonderful to see you and I apologize for taking so long to come rescue you. We hope you can forgive us.” She asked. Her body was relaxed but her eyes were tense. She didn’t know what Jordan was capable of or what state he was in, but she knew he was dangerous. The Captain released himself from the hug and turned to Ianite.</p><p>He smiled at her with his eyes closed and body relaxed when he addressed the other four.</p><p>“I can’t say how relieved I am to see you guys. I really am.” He smiled wider. His shadow stretched farther up on the door behind him.</p><p>“And Lady Ianite, it’s alright, I’m just glad you came to find me.” He looked over her shoulder to see Dec and the two other gods.</p><p>His smiled dropped for a millisecond before it returned but his eyes became cold. “And you brought the whole crew, I see. Dec, I hope you didn’t worry about me too much.” He said in a teasing tone.</p><p>Dec smiled at him and forced a chuckle, but said nothing. Jordan spared a glance at Mianite but his eyes lingered on Dianite before he turned back to his friends.</p><p>Dianite knew that this was not his Captain but dammit it didn’t hurt any less when he said nothing to him and looked at him as if they were distant friends. He hoped they weren’t too late. He watched him converse with the other two champions.</p><p>Tom and Karl suspected nothing which would put them in danger and make it harder for them to battle if it came to that. He glanced at Ianite. She was worrying her lip as she, too, watched them converse and knew she was worried for their safety as well. There was nothing they could do now except play their parts and let Jordan play his. They spared a glance at Dec. His face was unreadable but he was watching the Captain like a hawk. They knew the Priest would fight to protect the other two, even if it meant harming Jordan in the process.</p><p>Their thoughts were interrupted by Jordan. “Guys, as much as I love this, I think we should get out of here before we get unalived by something. When I was running here, there was a different hallway out this door so I think we could check out what’s down there?” He suggested while pointing behind him.</p><p>“Sure thing Jordan!” and “Lead the way Cap!” came from his friends as they followed him through the door. The Captain’s shadow disappeared through the door and into the hallway. The other four hesitated and Jordan shot them an odd look that made them follow him through the door.</p>
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